flow
An indicator of how effectively and smoothly work items advance through a specific process or framework.
Key Points
- Focuses on how work moves through the system, not how busy individuals are.
- Improved by limiting work in progress (WIP), reducing batch sizes, and removing blockers and handoff delays.
- Common measures include cycle time, throughput, WIP, and flow efficiency; visualize with Kanban and cumulative flow diagrams.
- Bottlenecks and variability degrade flow; aim for small, steady, predictable delivery.
Example
A Kanban team sees the "In Test" column expanding and cycle time rising. They set WIP limits on development, split large stories, and automate smoke tests. Within two iterations, average cycle time drops from 12 to 7 days, indicating improved flow.
PMP Example Question
Which action most directly improves flow in an Agile team?
- Increase utilization by assigning each member to multiple tasks at once.
- Set WIP limits and split large stories to reduce handoffs.
- Add an additional approval gate before deployment.
- Delay releases to bundle more features together.
Correct Answer: B — Set WIP limits and reduce batch sizes to smooth the movement of work
Explanation: Limiting WIP and breaking work into smaller items reduces waiting and bottlenecks, improving the flow of work through the process.
